Func KB-460 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

Func KB-460 Gaming Keyboard

The first thing I feel compelled to mention is that the keyboard is heavy. It is nothing if not solid, like rock solid. To put it one way: it feels like you could put wheels on it as use it as a skateboard. The second thing I should mention is the entire keyboard is coated in a soft material, creating no gloss whatsoever, but also leaving no scratches unless a lot of effort is put in. The palm rest has the same soft finish, making the whole thing look really dark and intense. The keyboard itself is wide but simple in design, as in there are no extra keys (which is why the width is so strange). No side macros, no separate media keys (they are F1-F6), and no thumb keys. Even the keys for switching and activating profiles are the F7-F12 keys. This is a very minimalistic layout and I wonder what the reason for it is. Perhaps it is an attempt to keep too many keys from cluttering the keyboard.

As a gamer I personally haven't often used the extra keys on the left of the standard keys, so this isn't necessarily a problem, but still those who used them often will miss them. The software, which I will get into on the next page, will help with the stress of not having extra macros. The bottom line is that the keyboard is space saving and may still offer an immersive gaming experience. This, coupled with the removable palm rest, will also make it easier to transport for on the road gaming.

There are also two USB ports on the top right of the keyboard for quick and convenient access. I really miss this feature in particular on keyboards that don't have it.

The back side of the key board is actually kinda flashy (as far as the backside of keyboards go). There is quite a bit going on. There are ridges on the top edge, the risers are elevated away from the keyboard when closed, and there is an elevated square where the clips for the palm rest are located. There are six rubber grips in total counting the ones attached to the risers. These should keep the KB-460 fairly steady while gaming.

From here we can see that the cable is very thick and braided. However, it is not removable and there is no cable routing to speak of. The clips for the palm rest lock in like a hinge to allow the palm rest to remain on whatever surface you are gaming on while the risers are in use. Here I ran in to a problem. As soon as I attached the palm rest I fumbled putting it flat on the table, and because of the considerable weight of the keyboard I stretched one of the clips. This was definitely my fault (I am clumsy, so sue me) and the other clip seems much stronger (it didn't give under the same pressure), but now every time I try to move the keyboard one clip falls off and leaves the other to support the whole keyboard. Now, I am unsure if the clip that broke was a little faulty to begin with, but I really wish there was a replacement included (for us clumsy folk).

The keys are all Cherry MX Reds and there is a bright red LED behind every one of them. This is the first Cherry MX Red that I have ever owned and I don't think I like it. The switches somehow wear me out even though they seem to depress so easily. I have heard, though, that there are many people who like the Cherry MX Reds, so this is nothing against the keyboard, just a personal preference. The keys light up very nicely. I like every level of intensity that the LEDs have. The brightest doesn't distract me and the dullest is subtly visible. There is even a function that goes from brightest to completely dark, but that does in fact distract me, even though it is really cool. Something very interesting and very good looking is the red back plate that the keys are set on. It makes the keyboard glow red underneath the keys in the higher two light intensities, causing the keyboard to look very menacing and awesome. Another thing I have noticed is that the keys are spaced out quite a bit (more than I am used to at the very least).

On the top right of the keyboard, just below the Func label, there are three red LED indicators that light up when a Profile is activated, when caps lock is on, and when the number lock is on.